


Powerless

by BulletNick



Category: Monolith - Fandom
Genre: Death, F/M, Hard Mode, Spoilers, after the end, post-victory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 01:07:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12200922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BulletNick/pseuds/BulletNick
Summary: [Monolith Spoilers]At long last, he managed to destroy her. Now it was just him, all alone, after the end, after the victory, feeling utterly powerless.





	Powerless

**Author's Note:**

  * For [storytellaur (laurelofthestory)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurelofthestory/gifts).



At long last, he heard something shatter, as he poured his final bullets into the heart of the monstrosity Null had become. He saw parts of the ship break off and fall apart. He could only watch as Null's ship, still at the heart of that machine, fell to the surface, as chunks of metal and wires and energy scattered themselves, raining over the surface of the giant Monolith. It was quite the fall, and he couldn't help his eyes from following her trajectory.

Eventually, her ship crashed against the ground, and there was a sickening crunch as metal and glass bent inwards, the cockpit looking mangled beyond recognition, as the ship sat on its own crater, smoldering and letting out a few sparks here and there. He was about to park beside her, but he noticed that there was still this faint aura of glowing energy surrounding it... visions of runes fading in and out around her. That's right... he had knocked her out, but the Power Eternal was still coursing through her, if only faintly.

Wasting no time, he flew as fast as he could through the depths of the facility, down the pit where they had ascended, a straight path to the conduit at the very bottom. He kept flying, further and further... how far had he gone down in order to find her?

There it was! Still glowing with that power, still emitting a low hum.

He knew what he had to do. There was no choice.

He opened fire on the conduit. And, for good measure, activated the experimented cannons, using all of the firepower he had left to destroy it. The runes seemed to be protecting it... but eventually, it gave way, and it signaled the end with an explosion. There was nothing but hollow, broken machinery where it once stood. His on-board computer confirmed that it was of no use anymore. It wouldn't hurt anyone else.

With his job done, he flew back to the surface again. Throughout the fight, there had only been one concern; to take the ship down, to overcome the fight, whatever it took.

But now, with his brain slowly coming back to reality, the image of Null's ship invading his mind, the realisation of it all was breaking into his mind. He had been forced to destroy Null, to take her down, to end the nightmare, to ki-

No. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't her fault. It was the Power Eternal. It gave them no choice in the matter.

He was back on the surface again. He looked at the remains of Null's ship as he slowly approached the ship. It looked even worse now. He dreaded to think that Null was still in there, somewhere in that mess of machinery.

He landed the ship close to hers', and opened the exit hatch to run towards it as fast as he could. He ignored all the large parts and components that had been attached to the ship not five minutes ago, still warm and crackling. It was truly a sorry sight. The glass front had been shattered, the wings were hopelessly bent, and the cockpit had been crushed by the impact. Fear and adrenaline fueled his muscles as he tossed aside parts and moved out metal and circuits out of the way.

One by one, he removed the layers, until finally, at long last, he spotted Null's seat covering her underneath, her limbs sticking out of the sides, covered in cuts and bruises. With one last mighty pull, he grabbed the dislodged seat and cast it aside without a second glance to find her lying on her back

As soon as Null's figure met his eyes, his breath was caught in his throat, and he took a step back in horror. She looked... so fragile, and severely injured. She was bleeding everywhere, her face covered in red trails. Her piloting suit was torn, covered in scratches and burn marks, and she wasn't moving at all. He wasn't even sure if she was breathing anymore. And still... her forehead covered in that ghastly runic writing, the mark still visible, but at least it wasn't glowing anymore.

"Oh, Null..." Was all he could bring himself to say, as he approached her, and fells to his knees, his eyes hating the onslaught of injures he could see on her. Even now, even if she was unconscious, he did his best to hold back tears in her presence. Even still, he had to bite his lip and shut his eyes. He couldn't bare to see her like this. "I'm so sorry..." He mumbled through the gasping and heavy breathing. "I'm so sorry, Null..."

He tried to say even more, but he couldn't find the words. It was too late... and now here they were... still in this wasteland, just as hopeless as they had ever been. The more he looked at her, the more the pain stung him deep in his soul. With shaking hands, he took her in his arms, and cradled her so very close to him, her limp body feeling so fragile next to him. As he struggled to find any signs of life, despite frantically examining her, he finally broke.

He held Null, or what was left of her, so close to him, as he finally let out a cry of pain, and the tears burst out. He clutched her against him, trying to feel for any warmth, any life, anything, as he shook with pained breaths and a shattered heart. He had lost her... he had let her become a monster... and now... he had been the one to put an end to it... "Please... please... forgive me... don't let this be the end... please..." He said, and only the distant echoes of a dead city replied.

He stayed there with her for a while, until the tears subsided, and the calm eventually came. He still held her, still immobile. After enough consideration, he finally stood up, carrying her in his arms. With slow, monotonous steps, he approached his ship, and then entered inside. He carefully set Null on the tiny bed inside the pilot's room, caring for her as if she was still just unconscious. He wordlessly connected her to the medical equipment, and started the diagnosis program. He stared at the panel, examining all the biological activity. When it was ready, he requested a status confirmation on her vital signs.

"Inconclusive."

Inconclusive? Was that the programming's way of saying that there was nothing? That it didn't know what to do? He took another glance at Null, attached with sensors and with now dried patches of blood. Truth be told, even he had no idea what to do now. He was... alone, really. And all this... for nothing. Just more destruction.

He stared at the screen, but there was nothing useful there. He strolled back to his cockpit and sat on his seat, his mind not even bothering to reflect on making repairs and maintenance badly needed after that intense fight. Trying to blank out his mind, he did the only thing he could think of.

He made sure to take off softly, slowly, causing as little disturbance as possible, and took off into the horizon, Null still lying on the back of his ship, and trying his hardest to figure out just what he was supposed to do. What now? There was only reason he'd come here, honestly... and now he was bringing it back... even if... there was so very little of it now.

Just before he would activate the rockets to initiate boost, he received a message from "Unknown Source". Confused, yet curious, he accepted the message, and then it appeared on his screen:

"ᚦᛖᛈᛟᚹᛖᚱᛖᛏᛖᚱᚾᚨᛚᚲᚨᚾᚷᚱᚨᚾᛏᛁᛏᛊᚹᛁᛖᛚᛞᛖᚱᛊᛁᛗᛗᛟᚱᛏᚨᛚᛁᛏᛁ"

He immediately shut it off.

No. No more of this. He was done listening to any more of it. It would remain buried deep in the facility, never to be accessed again. He made sure of it. Besides, he... he had someone to take care of now. He didn't what to do, but... he had to do something.

Looking back at his passenger in the pilot room one last time, he took a deep breath, and flew off into the crumbling horizon.


End file.
